This following excerpt is from something I wrote years ago. It is amazing to me that technology has given us the capability to store things in digital memory and much like our physical brains, bring things up down the road that would have been forgotten had you not pulled on (or clicked on!) from the banks of the past. I was cleaning up my old MacBook and stumbled upon a handful of blog posts I had started almost a decade ago and was blown away by the revelation and relevancy these words and thoughts resonated with today.
I remember the first time I really read Psalm 24 with the understanding that I was a gate for Jesus. I remember the awe and emotion of the realization that these words were penned lifetimes before He would walk the earth, conquer the grave and put His Spirit in us. The raw revelation and power of these words rocked me and are rocking me right now as I write again.
Psalm 24
Lift your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
Did your mom or grandma ever tell you to "stand up straight"? Mine did. I was a serial sloucher as a preteen. I was constantly hearing the admonition as well as feeling the adults in my life pull my shoulders in place and push my lower back in. What the adults around me were aware of was that my physical position was also a demonstration of my inner confidence. It is true that I was a very insecure teen and that was modeled by the way I shrunk back and actually positioned my body.
As I would learn about my identity and confidence IN Jesus in the decades after this- my posture began to change. The interesting part about this is that the world can sometimes mistake confidence for arrogance. Many church bodies would also go on to say during this time of growth that humility looked like the very posture I was being told to correct. Confusing right? What exactly does humility look like? I'd suggest to you that the posture of humility is a HEART posture. To have a heart captured by Jesus is a heart that is postured in the fullness of His love and victory and freedom and increase.....that posture- I believe, looks and communicates the same royalty of the kingdom to which we become a part of as believers (John 18:36).
What is the posture of royalty?
Is it possible that God is pulling our shoulders in place, pushing our lower back in and raising our eyes to Jesus SO THAT the King of Glory is recognized and welcomed in? Or maybe He just wants us to carry ourselves in alignment with the truth of WHO we are IN Him? Is this too deep? It is amazing to me.
Let's go back to the comparison of our earthly upbringing vs our spiritual process:
Identity--as cultivated and encouraged by our families--is demonstrated in the way that we carry our physical bodies, speak, use eye-contact, etc as we grow and mature. The firmer our identity is rooted in Jesus, the more confident we are AND Confidence is demonstrated IN body language.
Don't misunderstand me: confidence that comes from healthy identity is NOT arrogance or pride. The latter are rooted in "me" the former is rooted in "He" (Jesus).
So, in the same way our earthly parents and grandparents adjust our physical postures as a INSTRUCTION in our position with our families, I really believe that this verse IS an admonition to us as followers of Jesus within the context of our new creation. Our POSITION in Christ should be seen and modeled in the way that we carry our physical bodies. Our posture and our bodies and our words should reflect the kingdom to which we belong and, as such, become a doorway and invitation for the King, Himself, to be honored, praised and welcomed on this earth (Psalm 27:13-14).
All this in mind- These words are what I felt the Lord say in response to Psalm 24:
I see the Lord gently touching the lower back of His children “straighten your back, stand tall….I want to see your eyes. You are perfect in my eyes. Just like your brother, Jesus, you are worthy. You are loved- do YOU know that? Come to me with confidence, head held high. Just like your children come to you confident in the relationship they have with you- YOU are mine and I am YOURS!”
“Now is a time that you approach the throne in the fullness of who you are in me. No more counterfeit humility. Humility is NOT weak. Humility DOES NOT look like eyes cast down. Humility is NOT fear. Humility is the knowledge and identity in what has been done for you. Humility is triumph, it is wisdom IT IS UNDERSTANDING”
Stand up Straight my child and lift your eyes- for now is a season of worship from triumph and victory. You won’t see my glory if you don’t open your eyes and lift your praises upward. Stand up, Raise your heads you gates for the King of glory is coming.
I am increasingly aware of the time we live in being a time of NEW things. I talked about this in an earlier post (Next vs New). One of the places that the new is going to be displayed is in worship.
We live in a time where many of us have been conditioned to worship in a certain way. There’s an emphasis on our unworthiness and servanthood and process as a posture to a God that actually longs for relationship with children and friends rather than servants and has already fully and finally purchased all of our worth (John 15:15). We are complete AND holy in Him. It’s been really bothering my spirit to take part in worship that is constantly head lowered, knees bent and bodies rended. None of these things are bad, by the way, don’t misunderstand me. I believe that there is a time and place (just as the festivals were given to us as an example in the Old testament) for certain behaviors and postures that truly compliment the seasons we enter and actually provide a space for the glory of God to operate as He has ordained. With that, THIS is a season of Joy and Triumph and Praise REGARDLESS OF CIRCUMSTANCE. It is a time to be IN worship and directed to the King of Kings no matter our lack, hurt, burdens, sickness, etc. As Graham Cooke says the Lord told Him “Give me back my stuff!” Jesus purchased ALL of this and it is time we give it back to him and worship Him for what is truth in the heavens that it might be released on earth (Matthew 18:18) (Can I get an AMEN!!!!!)
Do you remember Ezra?
Ezra led the people in praise at their lowest point- right after they were so cut to the heart and repentant for all their ways- they were at the complete opposite place of FEELING like worship….but Ezra led them in WORSHP because the Lord does not accuse- HE FREES! (*Nehemiah 8:9-12 Nehemiah 7 and 8 is profound concerning the timing of the opening of the gates) Our worship is not to be determined or defined by our circumstances JESUS who is constant, unchanging, forever and ever is the source of our worship! AMEN!
We have entered a season of freedom and breakthrough, but it requires a POSTURE that is consistent with what God is doing and that posture IS Heads held high, eyes to the Savior and voices raised to usher in the glory that God has promised.
Lift your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
Raise your eyes, friend. Your father knows everything and all that you are and have done and he wants you to look Him in the eyes and behold the love he has for you that you may believe and release the abundance waiting. John 10:10
Now unto HIM who is able to do exceeedingly, abundantly MORE than we can possibly ask or imagine, according to HIS power that is at work within us
Lyns
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